No Podcast this week as WSVA is still working on the new system. But a few interesting pieces of Tech info today. Take a look at each one that interests you…maybe all of them.
Computers ‘do not improve’ pupil results, says OECD
The think tank says frequent use of computers in schools is more likely to be associated with lower results.
The OECD’s education director Andreas Schleicher says school technology had raised “too many false hopes”.
Tom Bennett, the government’s expert on pupil behaviour, said teachers had been “dazzled” by school computers.
The report from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development examines the impact of school technology on international test results, such as the Pisa tests taken in more than 70 countries and tests measuring digital skills.
It says education systems which have invested heavily in information and communications technology have seen “no noticeable improvement” in Pisa test results for reading, mathematics or science.
Are Dumb Phones on the Rebound?
400 million units sold in 2011 and the most popular consumer electronics device in the US, smartphones are a huge money maker — but only if you’re Apple or Samsung.
In 2011, Samsung and Apple were the only two smartphone manufacturers to turn a healthy profit — which is perhaps unsurprising when you consider that both companies each own around 25% of the market. Motorola, HTC, LG, Sony-Ericsson, and any number of other also-rans sold millions of handsets but barely managed to eke out a profit between them. The fact is, it’s hard to compete with Apple, which has the best supply chain in the world and an army of devout fans, and Samsung, which is one of the largest manufacturers in the world, and the top manufacturer of LCD-, OLED- and memory-related tech goods.
RFID on your Charge Cards Should you worry?The distance from which a tag can be read is called its read range. Read range depends on a number of factors, including the frequency of the radio waves uses for tag-reader communication, the size of the tag antenna, the power output of the reader, and whether the tags have a battery to broadcast a signal or gather energy from a reader and merely reflect a weak signal back to the reader. Battery-powered tags typically have a read range of 300 feet (100 meters). These are the kinds of tags used in toll collection systems.
SnapChat is it useful at all?
You have probably heard about Snapchat, the mobile app that allows users to send videos and pictures that self destruct after a few seconds.
Snapchat is a fun messaging application for sharing moments. You can take a photo or a video, add a caption or doodle, and send it to a friend or add it to your story to share with some or all of your friends. Friends can view snaps for up to 10 seconds, and then it disappears.
While that’s all fine and dandy, many people have been left stumped by Snapchat. They can’t seem to understand why someone would send brief pictures or videos to friends if they can’t be saved. Well, they can be “saved”. And Snapchat has more to offer than what meets the eye.
If you’d like to learn all about Snapchat and how it works, keep reading. You’ll quickly realise it’s more than just an app that teens use for sexting.